An apple tree in Finaqua?
by Abigaila Snape
Summary: A young princess learns the sad tale of why there was a lone apple tree in finaqua!


**Tin man and it's characters do not belong to me, the plot and two little girls do!**

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The Queen of the O.Z. sat on the swing at Finaqua, watching two young girls play by the waters edge.

The smallest of the girls seemed to have a never ending smile and curiosity to big to be held in her tiny little body. When she looked at you with those big brown eyes there was nothing you could deny her.

The older, the smaller's cousin, always tried to be proper but in the end was dragged into the smaller's mischief.

The two girls ran past were the queen sat to an apple tree, which they began to climb.

The Queen smiled as the appointed guard for the two girls, Jeb Cain, son of one of Princess DG's dearest friends, ran after them beging them to get down before they hurt them selves.

"Jeb leave them be their fine."

The young man looked back and bowed his head slightly, "Yes your majesty." He stepped back but was ready to run to the girls' rescue should they fall.

A few minutes later the youngest girl ran up to the queen.

"Granmother, Jessica said that the apple tree didn't used to be here. If it wasn't here before why is it now?"

The queen gave the girl a sad smile as she pulled the girl into her lap.

"Well some years ago your mother was in the other world. When she came back an evil witch ruled the land. Your mother's very first day back she met two very interesting men, who choose to protect your mother on her journey. One of these men your mother came to care for very much. Sadly the evil witch had stolen half of his brain, so every now and again he would forget everything, even his own name. When the witch was defeated your mother and this man became even closer. After a few years we found away to return his brain to him. We new that there was a chance that something could go wrong but he wanted to be whole again. After the surgery your mother waited but he never came back to her. So she had that tree moved here, shortly before you were born, because that man always loved apples. At times it was the only thing he really remembered."

When the queen was done with her tail the girl looked up at her and the queen felt her heart ache at the sadness in the girls eyes. "That man was really special for Mommy to move a whole tree for him."

The queen smiled sadly and nodded her head kissing the girl on top of her head, "Yes sweetheart he was."

The girl looked back at the tree and sniffed then looked back at her grandmother, "Can I go tell Jessica about him?"

The queen nodded and let the girl down. The young girl walked quickly towards her cousin to tell her the story, even though it was sad, when she tripped over a small pile of rocks that the girls had gathered earlier that day.

When Jessica helped her up and made sure she was ok she asked, "What did grandmother say?"

The smaller girl blinked a few times, looking at the other girl for a few second before her eye land on something behind her.

"Oh apples! I wonder if Grandma will let us take so for the cooks to make us a pie!"

The young girl rushed over to her grandmother, who had been watching her with sad eye.

"Grandmother, can we take so apples for a pie?"

The queen nodded and ushered the girl toward the tree, with the same sad smile on her face, as her advisor walked up beside her.

"Your majesty, Tutor has requested that the young princess take her lesson indoors today. He's feeling a bit under the weather but does not wish to deter her from her studies."

The queen looked up at him and it seemed that her face became even sadder. "Thank you, could you take her up for me."

The man bowed and walked off toward the princesses.

As he approached the youngest princess looked up, "Hello mister Ambrose! We're gathering apples to make a pie," she tilted her head to the side in thought, "I think someone said once that I like apples as much as my daddy did. Do you know if that's true?"

"I would not know princess; I never met your father. They said he pass a few days before I awoke. Come along now, tutor wishes to have your lessons inside today."

The princess looks at him then at the apples in her arms. "Can we take these to these to the kitchen first so they can make our pie? You can have some to if you like, I know you like apples. "

Ambrose gave a ghost of a smile before nodding; gather a few of the apples from the girl and turning toward the castle.

The Queen and Jeb watched as the princess fallowed Ambrose toward the castle when the silence was interrupted.

"For a smart guy, he's not very bright!"

Jeb turned to see his father leaning against a tree.

The queen turned towards him a gave him a small smile. "I think some where deep inside a small part of him knows she's his. The rest of him still does not feel that he should be alive let allow cared for by a member of the royal family."

If the three had still been watching the advisor and the princess they would have seen the proud smile the man held as he watched the small girl walking proud, arm full of apples, chattering away about how she thinks some one said her father really liked apples and asked if he knew if that was true.

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**A/N: So what do you think? Any good? I've had it stuck in my head all day so i had to get it out.**


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